Start up rig for salt water fishing?

Question

I have never been saltwater fishing in my life and we now live on a sub-tropical island in the South Pacific. I was niave and though my fresh water rigs would be of use, I was so very wrong. The fishing we would mostly being doing is pier fishing or shore fishing. What do you all recommend as a start up rig and do you have any tips?

Answer 1

A good place to start would be with good saltwater manufacturer's of reels & rods.

Here are some examples of good companys to buy from:

1. Penn (reels & rods)
2. Shimano (reels)
3. Abu Garcia (for Baitcaster's)
4. Finn Nor
5. Daiwa
6. Ugly Stik (rods)
7. G Loomis (rods)

In my honest opinion, an inexpensive "decent" entry level spinning combo that should/will hold up for many, many years for jetty/pier/surf-fishing would be:

1. Daiwa "Black Gold" BG 20 ($79.99) & Ugly Stik "Tiger Lite" series 7' Heavy ($59.95)

2. Penn Spinfisher "650 SS" metal ($119) & Tiger Lite Ugly Stik(same as above $59.99).

Shimano, Daiwa, Penn, G Loomis, Etc have more expensive rods & reels you can purchase if you wish.

It's important to note that whatever type of reel/rod you purchase should have "non-corroding" features. And even though it may have these features you should ALWAYS wash down your rig after every trip!

Go to BassPro and Cabelas and read the reviews for any reel/rod you decide to purchase. (www.basspro.com)(www.cabelas.com)
These reviews should give you an idea of what you should purchase for your island fishing.

Hope this helps ya? Good luck!

UPDATE: Master of D- I'm glad you have experienced such good luck with your Walmart Special combo. You may have got a "good" one. Or Not.

Or not? Here is where some of those "blue-light special" rigs skimp. They "skimp" on their non-corroding features; rotor, bearings and bail-trip are usually NOT stainless or "protected" in any way. The rods usually have "plastic" inserts in the guides or aluminum-painted guides. The rod-blanks are "2nds" from various different companys.
I was a manager at a major tackle distributer for 3 years and KNOW what kinda problems these combo's can have.

When purchasing a "deal" combo you play "russian roulette" with your money.

And some people will not take as good a care of a rod/reel as you might Master. You probably wash/spray it down after every trip? Some will not.

I can guarantee that a "namebrand" combo would/will outlast a "special" 3 out of 4 times. Esp if you don't take care of it!

These are the reasons I would not suggest (to anyone) to buy a Walmart special for saltwater applications. Heck, I'd buy a USED Daiwa, Penn, Shimano on EBay before going the "cheapy" route.

Be careful.

Answer 2

i belive salt water is easyer to learn ive tryed fresh water and never have any luck caught all my fishys in salt water beside there are more fish in the ocean than a lake better odds of catching something and more variets of fish you said u live in maryland well they have some great blue crabs also so get ya a crab net and a chicken leg tie it on good maybe a fish hook also on a long stronk string like kite of fishing string threw it out far a syou can and let it sit on bottom floor for a while then gently start to pull it in you will feal a tug pull very slow and when you get it very close to the top stand ready with your crab net they can see you so dont bring the leg op out of water keep about a foot or so down and swoop him into net if it has orange like stuff let it go its a femal ready to lay her eggs and illegal to take the male blue claws are what you want becarfull they bite hard grab for tthe back they cannot reach around to bite you but they can fron the front they make great maryland style crake cakes or just dip in butter salt water is the best clams crabs lobsters oysters fish

Answer 3

If you're more comfortable with spinning gear, get a saltwater spinning rig; if you can handle baitcasters, go with a baitcasting or conventional outfit. Not knowing the size or species of fish you're after, I can't recommend a line strength (and therefore size/model of rod or reel), but in general, if you need casting distance you'll want a long rod (8-10 ft), with enough backbone to cast 3-6 ounces of weight, and then a reel matched to the rod and the line strength.

If there are locals who are doing well, check out the size/style/brand of their gear.

Answer 4

is there a wal mart where you reside? if there is go to the fishing section buy one of the combos. Just make sure it feels solid and looks like its built ford tough. I bought my first rod/reel from wal mart by myself with no prior knowledge about fishing. That bad boy cost 30 USD and it is still catching big ones off piers. Try to get a Shakespeare Contender Custom. Its a 7 foot two piece rod, medium action, ceramic guides, fast tapered, 12-20LB. It came with a reel 290 Yds : 12 Lb test 190 Yds : 20Lb test. 4.6:1 gear ratio i believe. it is definately solid. I use it for rock fishing in 30-50 fathoms and i catch just as much as the guys with the penn 500s and internationals with the roller tip guides.

Answer 5

The best way is talking to the locals. When I moved to WA state I went and hired a guide my first time fishing and paid attention. Learned how to fish the area and what to use, now I catch fish everytime I go out.

Answer 6

Double drop rig
It has weight at bottom attatched to the main line, then there are 2 leaders attatched to the main line so you can have 2 hooks